Remember learning about food chains?
Today environmental scientists talk in terms of the “food web,” a complex interaction of sunlight, microbes, plants, prey and predators exchanging energy at many different levels simultaneously. We now know that seemingly small changes in one habitat can have dramatic effects on species far upstream on the web.
After a holiday weekend,its not unusual for Florida parks to collect over 40 tons of garbage (per park). The night before the clean-up the local raccoons throw a party. What are they eating? You guessed it. Raccoon autopsies reveal that human junk food accounts for a significant portion of their diet – and their health is suffering for it.
Think about that next time you see a fat raccoon.
I drew this illustration to go with a story I wrote for Bay Soundings magazine called “Unintended Consequences.” If you like the picture, I think you’ll find this very interesting: